Valours Minion has the winning habit now

Valours Minion was there to be shot at from two out, but to his credit he responded well to Mark Enright’s urgings and landed Listowel’s two mile one handicap chase.

Val O’Brien’s charge moved nicely into third, on the heels of the leaders, before four out. He then improved to hit the front before the second last.

There looked to any number of serious challengers jostling in behind. The leader jumped to his right at the penultimate fence, but got away from it quickly. Again at the last of the 13 fences he went to his right, but he stayed on best on the run-in to score by a length and a quarter at 5/1. Tisamystery (8/1) came with a good run but couldn’t match the winner’s power-packed finish. He took second while Holeinthewall Bar (14/1) kept on well for third, beaten two and a quarter lengths by the winner.

Val O’Brien said: “That’s his third win in his last four runs. He started off at Killarney, then Galway and now today. The dry ground has been a big help to him this year.

“He’s in a hurdle race at Ballinrobe on Tuesday, but it might come a bit quick. He was six until he ran and then he was a lot of years getting placed so it’s great that he has won three. He travelled well today and he jumped well.

“There was a bit of trouble at the start. Mark thought it should nearly have been a false start. There was a bit of a collision between a few horses.”

Valours Minion was the bottom weight in this 13-runner handicap chase. The 11-year-old carried 9-10 to victory.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson